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Autumn walks in a street of southern crafter gods. Many symbols of Ahlat about them, great banners showing the symbol of the horns in the places that craft weapons... but Autumn simply walks out of them, to the Path of Glass and Fire, a street made of exactly that - Glass and Frozen Fire - and taking Venus along, the scarf around her neck and to his hand. His face is covered with a reflective glass-mask.
Autumn "Welcome to the High Life, Ven Veni Ven?!"
Venus stares about in wonder, though every time she tries to stop and look at something and the scarf pulls on her neck she heaves a pointed sigh of irritation.
Autumn "Oh, come on, you know you love it! Anyways, here, we have the best glass-blowers, the unfortunate gods of Gem, the mighty crafters of Delzahn, the clock-crafters of Varang... well, their homes, at any rate. Bums just let others work for them most of the time. But their name, their prestige, is ALL! Note down, that's important, class." He nods.
Venus gives him a look that says "no, no I don't." but is distracted by something shiny. "Unfortunate? Why unfortunate?"
Venus is tallish and athletic, with rich cocoa skin and black hair done up in multiple tiny braids, each fastened with colored beads. Her outfit is as skimpy as her trade would suggest, in translucent layers of red trimmed with gold. She clasps the 'leash' end of the scarf near where it circles her neck, to keep it from pulling too much.
Autumn "Because it is too close to the Wyld, to fire, too damn hot, and let's face it, doesn't keep half the money it should. But let us reiterate the 'too damn close to the wyld' part!" He pushes her around, walking into a store where breath, hopes and butterflies are made into beautiful gems. "How did you even live around here before we save you from boredom, anyway?"
Venus "Oh.. I think my mother was from there originally." She sighs, thinking of all the things she never got to experience on her own. "I didn't. I'd only just arrived when I met you..."
Autumn "Oh! Really? That is... a really fortunate coincidence! Yu-Shan is full of evil types that would kidnap, deceive and otherwise harm a little mortal walking alone in those streets, even one that pretends to be a courtesan! You are very, very lucky to have met us first!" As they, clearly, did NOTHING of the sort!
Venus stops in her tracks and glares at Autumn until dragged forward again. "Oh yeah, extremely lucky. Will you take this thing off please?"
Autumn "Please... no. If you ask pretty please with sugar and strawberries on top, then yes!" He tells her, while telling the person on the workshop something in Old Realm!
Venus clasps her hands behind her back, looks upwards, and in a singsong voice says "Pretty please with sugar and strawberries on top, will you take this thing off?"
Autumn allows the scarf to unwrap from her neck... and around her waist, then! "Better?"
Venus beams...then her face falls. "...yeah. It's better, I suppose.""
Venus "You know, I did promise to help you."
Autumn "Of course you did! Did I ever dispute that?" He asks with what might be a smile within the mask, picking a choker of gold and rubies, and presenting it to her... "What do you think?"
Venus "Well, doesn't it sort of follow that you don't need to keep me on a leash if I promised to help you?" she smiles wistfully at the necklace, "It's beautiful... it must be worth a fortune!"
Autumn "I just thought you liked the leash last night!" He says, coming closer and whispering the price. It is a fortune indeed. Indeed, it is such a fortune, that it makes the most money she has heard of in Nexus seems petty. And then, he picks another, golden and with sapphires... and crowned by a diamond. "Or this one?"
Venus "Well.. that was different." she blushes, siezing on the new necklace as a distraction from her memories. "I've never seen anything more beautiful." She touches her own jewelry which, while fairly tasteful, is made with mostly colored glass and not true gems.
Autumn moves behind her, and begins to fasten the choker on her neck... while a lesser godling, a creature that looked like a great beautific glass grasshopper comes in fromt of her to serve as a mirror...
Venus , once she gets over the fact that she's staring at a glass mirror creature rather than polished metal, stares at her reflection with awe. "Autumn, I can't afford this. I only have... a few coins and six of these rod things."
Venus cocks her head to one side, studying her reflection, and that of Autumn behind her.
Autumn "First, the rod-things are enough to afford them. Well, five of them. But you are not affording this. I am. That is how much I earn, and I guess if you have to walk with us, you will have to be... proper, don't you think?" He smiles within the mask... and the mask smiles too, oddly! "See? There's perks."
Venus 's eyes widen in surprise, "They are? ...You are?" she pauses akwardly, weighing the jewelry and possibility of a manse home against public humiliation and leashes.
Autumn "They are. That is Ambrosia... the most important substance in heaven. Distilled prayer. When you pray for them... when you do it right... when a king burns effigies and an old painting to ensure a war will go well... when a chosen asks for a god's favor in some grand way... they happen. I thought you knew we were making you the best-paid lover in the world yesterday."
Venus "I... " she stutters, trailing off. "I had no idea. I didn't even know that happened to prayers... oh, Gods, I don't know anything about Heaven..." she looks at Autumn, feeling lost. "I thought I could make it here alone, but now I'm not so sure."
Autumn "Prayers become money, here." He unlocks the ruby choker, and brings the sapphire one... asking the grasshopper mirror turn a little to the left. "Why do you think your daddy doesn't want to give up Harborhead to the Realm? It has nothing to do with pride... but he would get competition with the dragons then. And that would SO hurt his lifestyle..."
Venus thinks that over, while she inspects her reflection with the sapphire choker on. "Oh," she makes the sign of the horns again, muttering a small prayer, watching the mirror to see if anything unusual happens to the words. "Well, I thought he just liked it there."
Autumn The words coalesce around her, multiple hues of essence disappearing, going somewhere... to Ahlat. "Some laws are universal, Venus... Need. Interest. Desire. Power." He says, looking at it... "I'm biased, but I like the sapphires."
Venus smiles mischevously, "Then maybe I should take the rubies. Some laws are universal, after all."
Autumn trades them in a flash, then, and a lean spirit of burning opal with long fingers that seem far too sharp brings a little gem... a sapphire with words, like a poem, of frozen fire in Old Realm. Autumn picks it, with some words in Old Realm, and places it on Venus' choker.
Venus tries to look at her own neck, fails, and then recalls the mirror. She leans forward and attempts to read it. Fails again. "What does it say?"
Autumn "Remember what I told you when I first got here? The prestige in assossiating with the right names?"
Venus "Yeee...es."
Autumn "I just assossiated you with the best" Behind the glass mask, he grins. A grin that can be FELT through the mask, so... shameless. The fact Venus is seeing her own face on the mirror and his own behind her, so likely grinning, only enhances that effect...
Venus processes this for several moments. It takes longer due to being consistently distracted by the disturbing effect of his grin. "It.. has...your name on it?"
Autumn begins to giggle. "Indeed."
Venus looks briefly annoyed. "You can't just do something nice, is that it? There are always strings? This isn't about protecting me, is it." she says flatly.
Autumn "Yes, it is. Welcome to Heaven, Venus. You have no rights here. Even if you have the attunement to the Manse, the Lions will give you entrance, but you will still retain no rights in here. In here, with Gods of murder... pillage... pain... must I go on? With my name, you are safe."
Autumn "It'd be sad if you broke in something so menial, before your adventure is over..."
Venus touches the gem, her annoyance replaced by something undefineable. "But only the rights of your pet on a leash? I suppose I should have had dreams less grand, when I came to Heaven." she steps away from the mirror, sadly. After a moment, she says, "Thank you. It's beautiful."
Autumn "My pet? Maybe! But do I treat you like a pet? I'd prefer to use the term 'Chosen'."
Venus points silently at the 'leash'
Autumn "We are going to Lookshy because of a hunch sent by Mars." He shrugs. "All Chosen are leashed in some way." And then the scarf unwraps from her waist, forming a spiral around his arm...
Autumn "... but I thought you'd be happy." He takes off the glass mask, giving it to the shop, filled with enough Ambrosia to pay for the choker, and walking out without another word!
Venus looks at him in surprise for a second, then smiles. This expression is followed shortly by concern, and she runs after him. "Autumn, wait! I'm sorry!"
Autumn turns around, a mask of shadows and a terrible skull face in place now
Venus stops short, eyes wide. She starts to take a step back but forces herself not to. "Autumn? I'm sorry. I really am... Everything is so confusing here, and I thought... I don't know. I'm just scared. Everything I see, I think it can't be true." She takes a shaky step forward. "Please, I do want to stay with you." she hesitates... "Pretty please with strawberries and whipped cream on top?"
Autumn takes over her wrist, painfully, dragging her to an alley... and placing a wicked-looking glass knife on her hand. "Use it. On me. Now."
Venus yelps. "What? I don't want to hurt you." she grips the knife uncertainly, no longer sure that chasing after him was her best idea ever.
Autumn looks down on her, and his eyes seem to flare, with the darkest blue light... "Do it now. On my throat or my heart. Cut me, let me feel the cold glass. Do so."
Venus stares back at him like a deer. Then she closes her eyes and stabs the knife at his heart.
Autumn She feels the blood dripping down the knife and into her hands. The mask broke in a thousand splinters, and the black scarves that covered him a moment before unraveled. There was only him, his beautiful face with azure eyes looking at her... "Every Third Shadow does not forgive. Does not forget. He hates with the passion of the void." he whispers to her, before kissing her lips.
Autumn "But I am Smiling Autumn now. And for cream and strawberry please... of course. I am not letting go."
Venus shivers, her heart pounding in her throat, her voice catching on a scream that does not quite make it out of her mouth. She pulls her hands away from the hilt of the knife, confused and terrified by this Every Third Shadow, but returning the kiss. She whispers "Smiling Autumn..."
Autumn "Yes..." He says, so close, not walking out yet, touching her choker... "Red and gold does fit you well."
Venus steps forward abruptly and kisses him.
Autumn kisses her back, but is a little... taken aback by her eagerness, taking a single step back...
Venus follows him, forward for her. "Smiling Autumn, Every Third Shadow... do you still want me?"
Autumn "You killed Every Third Shadow. His role broke, scattered to the wings, and he will never be heard about ever again." His arms wrap around her, puslling her to him, warmly. "But I... I do want you. Even more."
Venus touches his face, no mask has yet replaced the frightening one. "I want to be yours."
Autumn looks into her eyes, the constellations shifting to form others... and Venus could almost see them forming herself, there, bound in the Cerulean Lute in the sky... "Mine." the scarf writhes between then, around the clasp of her collar, tying itself to it. Tying her to him. And him to her. "And I am not letting you go." He means so much more now.
Venus gasps a little, as the scarves move between them, and she is tied once more to him. She looks up into his eyes then, and... smiles, moving even closer to him.
Autumn The scarves slide down her clothes as he touches her, kisses filled with the light and flavor of serenity as her light surrounds them... soft, muted, to keep all that is not them away. Make it their little corner of Heaven.
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